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Turkey Mussalum
A recipe derived from a traditional Muslim festive dish.
This recipe is a derivation of a traditional Muslim chicken dish that I have had around for years. It is an excellent way to cook a whole bird and can be served with more the traditional English accompaniments such as roast potatoes etc. It is a complex recipe requiring three stages of preparation. The result is worthwhile giving a succulent dish that can be eaten hot or cold. This recipe is for 4 people and is based on 3.5lb (1.5kg) of meat. You can use a turkey breast or a whole bird. It's just as good with chicken.
Scale the recipe up or down as required. You will need a casserole big enough to take the whole piece of meat so that may limit the size you can manage. As you will see, it's quite a physical recipe so a long cold drink to refresh you after step 10 is required.
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 tbsp. Coriander seed
- 1 tbsp. Cumin seed
- 2 Bay leaves
- 4oz (100g) thick plain yoghurt
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 3 green chillies, chopped.
- 3.5lb (1.5kg) turkey (breast or whole) or chicken, skinned.
Roasting mix.
- 4oz (100g) ghee
- 1 lg. onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
- 3 inch (7.5cm) fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2 inch (5cm) piece of cinnamon
- 10 cloves
- 10 green cardamoms
- 2 tsp. black peppercorns
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 pint (150ml) chicken stock
- 2 tsp. Garam Masala - Hot Spice blend
Garnish
- Fresh coriander
- Lemon wedges
Method
- Gently dry roast marinade spices until bay leaf is dry.
- Grind spices and liquidise all marinade ingredients together.
- Make deep slashes in turkey meat and rub in marinade. Leave in cool place for 24 hours.
- When ready to cook, gently pound the whole spices to break them.
- Heat ghee in casserole/pan that has a close fitting lid. Turn oven on to preheat to 190C/375F.
- Gently fry onion, garlic and ginger until soft.
- Add crushed spices and salt. Stir fry and mix for 30 seconds.
- Add stock and bring to boil.
- Add garam masala and mix in.
- Add bird with its marinade, fit lid and shake pan for 2 minutes.
- Put casserole into oven. Sit down and have cold drink.
- After 1 hour, remove casserole from oven. Turn up heat to 230C/450F
- Put bird into a roasting tray. Baste with some of the sauce. Do not discard the sauce from the casserole.
- Roast the bird in oven for about 30 minutes or until cooked (juices run clear when thickest part (of thigh) is pierced.)
- Allow bird to stand whilst you liquidise the sauce and re-heat it.
- Serve bird with garnish. Serve sauce separate.
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